Arbiter of the Force
by HandAssassinSpider-man
Summary: The Galaxy is once more at war. The Jedi, after centuries of peace find themselves thrust into the roles of warriors and leaders. Few are prepared for such responsibility and even fewer ever will be. Thel 'Vadam, recently promoted to Master, enters the war eager to prove his worth to the Order that took him in, but soon finds that war may not be as glorious as he believed.
1. Chapter 1

So this is a bit of a rewrite of a chapter I posted for what was to be a series of one shots before I took it down. The basic premise is Thel 'Vadam, our favorite Sangheili from Halo, and that of a few other races of the Covenant living in the Star Wars universe, with Thel being a member of the soon to be decimated Jedi Order.

This story will be a bit different compared to others I have written as we follow Thel and his men through the brutal Clone Wars and the toll it'll take on them. We'll be seeing moments where Thel and his men question their actions, the actions of the Republic in their war against the Separatists in a Galaxy that is slowly falling apart. Times where the reality of war erodes the wills of the men fighting it and just how far each side is willing to go to win.

And I know people are gonna ask it, is this gonna be a harem fic with Thel hooking up with other women from Star Wars?

...

...

Yes.

...

...

Now, on to the story that many did not ask for, want or even care ever was made in the first place!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Halo or Star Wars character mentioned, seen, or used in this story.

* * *

Coruscant, Jedi Temple, 22 BBY, Three months into the dubbed 'Clone Wars'...

...

Among the higher levels of the ancient home to the Jedi Order stood a lone figure, staring out a window into the ever busy and populous planet spanning city that was Coruscant with intense focus. This figure stood at almost eight feet tall and was cladded in silver armor, making him to look even larger than he actually was and causing them to greatly stand out in a place that had its inhabitants wear mostly brown cloaks and cloths that were… well less armored.

The armored figure was Thel 'Vadam a Jedi Master and soon to be General in the Grand Army of the Republic. In fact Thel was the first Sangheili in centuries to have ever achieved these ransk and honors. The number who had achieved such feats could sadly be counted on one of Thel's hands as his people's close association to the Dark Side made them producing any Force Sensitive attuned more to the Light Side... difficult... and even more rare.

Given this, Thel found it very difficult to master the harmonious teachings of the Jedi, to resist the natural pull to the Dark Side and his own species aggressive and nearly unrivaled passion for war. Many Jedi questioned if Thel would ever be able to succeed and many wrote him off as a failure waiting to happen, but Jedi Master Yoda, to the shock of many, took the young Sangheili on as an apprentice and through great effort, Thel was finally able to become a Jedi and the rest was as they say, history.

Thel's mind wandered over what to expect when he arrived on the front lines. Years of intensive study and the occasianol altercation with small bands of pirates or criminals was one thing, but stepping on to a actual battlefield, with armies in the thousands blasting at one another for days if not weeks at a time was something else entirely. The Sangheili was so focused on what to expect in this war that he didn't hear or sense the figure approaching him from behind and stopping a few feet from the towering mass of metal, muscle, and pent up aggression waiting to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting forces of the Separatists.

The person behind Thel Vadam was none other than Jedi Master Shaak Ti, a member of the Jedi High Council and a close childhood friend of Thel's… actually she was his only one. Granted he now has more in the forms of masters Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and surprisingly Kit Fisto but they always seemed to have something special.

Shaak Ti was a beautiful Togruta female that stood at 5'10' without including her montrals. She was dressed in the Jedi's traditional robes and was quietly observing her longtime friend, and according to Jedi master Quinlan Vos her secret crush which she has furiously denied as true. But she won't lie in admitting that Thel was handsome and had a certain charm and intense passion to him. The Jedi master was a bit surprised to see Thel donning silver Sangheili armor instead of the usual brown or tan garbs of the Jedi in the temple. She was even more surprised on how ancient the armor Thel was wearing appeared to be and how beautifully crafted it was.

After seeing that he had yet to sense her presence she decided to do it for him "Wow this statute is so life like it reminds me of my friend. Though I do question it's placement in front of a window, facing out towards the city"

Her voice caught Thel's attention who turned his armored bulk towards her with a questioning gaze and answering in his deep baritone voice "I fail to see how I seem like a statue, Master Shaak Ti"

The female Togruta smirked at her friend's response before standing beside the taller male and watching the never ending flow of traffic cross Coruscant's skies.

"You were very quiet, I had to be sure you were real 'Master' Vadam" Shaak Ti stated Thel's recent accomplishment to the rank of Jedi Master.

Thel merely grunted and returned his gaze to the afternoon sky of Coruscant "I apologize, I am simply thinking of what I will be able to accomplish when I make it to the front lines..."

Shaak Ti remained quiet as she was well of aware of Thel upcoming assignment. She won't lie and say she won't worry for him. After all few Jedi were and still aren't prepared for this war, both physically... and mentally. Even Shaak Ti isn't so sure she will be able to withstand the horrors that her fellow Jedi are already encountering on the front lines, day in and day out.

"Will you be prepared for what you face out there?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Hmm?" Thel sounded as he turned towards his fellow Jedi with a raised brow.

"The war... the death... the suffering..." Shaak Ti said in a low voice "Are you prepared for it?"

"Is anybody?" Thel countered as he returned his gaze to the city before them "Perhaps I am... perhaps I'm not. We never truly know what we can uphold, what we can withstand, until we are faced with it"

"Is that the wise Jedi Master you've become? Or the Sangheili warrior within?" Shaak Ti questioned with a chuckle.

"It is both" Thel commented with a grunt.

Shaak Ti had no response to that and stayed quiet as the minutes ticked by before she noticed a Cruiser coming in to land at the nearby spaceport. Shaak Ti saw that Thel was watching it as well before she spoke again "The Clones, what do you think of them?"

"What is there to think? They are the soldiers we are to lead into battle" Thel stated in a dry tone.

"But is their nature, how they are created and from whom, their purpose for even existing in the first place, does it trouble you?" Shaak Ti asked with curiosity "Yes they are warriors, but they aren't given a choice in the matter. They are bred for noting but war and I fear they will only ever know war and should this conflict end within our lives, they will be discarded"

"It is a purpose" Thel commented as he folded his arms across his chest "While their lives may seem cruel and tragic, I see and sense they wouldn't have it any other way. To live, to fight and die a warrior for a noble cause, how many can say they have or will accomplish such a thing in their lives?"

"You admire them?" Shaak Ti asked with a quirked brow.

"To a point..." Thel said with a click of his mandibles "They seem much more capable then the humans that the Senate has had employed as it's security force for decades now"

Shaak Ti hummed at this while Thel turned towards her with an intense gaze that caused her to almost shiver in response. She never could quite explain it, why his eyes always caused an unexplainable feeling to travel up and down her spine.

"...Yes?" Shaak Ti said as she met Thel's gaze with one of her, every bit as intense. She liked to think that the feeling he caused her was mutual and if the slight tensing of his body was anything to go by, it very well may be.

Thel stared at her for several more seconds before saying "Would you spar with me one last time before I leave?"

Shaak Ti adopted a look of surprise at Thel's request "…A spar?"

Thel nodded "Yes as Master Windu is no longer at the Temple and Master Yoda is occupied with some of the younglings, I find myself surrounded by ones who aren't very… skilled. You are the only here presently who could pose an actual challenge"

Shaak Ti couldn't help but chuckle at Thel's answer as what he said was true to a degree in that aside from herself, only Master's Yoda and Windu has ever been able to stalemate Thel in a duel.

"Fine…" Shaak Ti agreed as she followed Thel who made his way to the training yards several floors below.

Once they arrived she was a bit unsettled to see it so full of fellow Jedi, Padawan learners and Master Yoda himself teaching a group of younglings in the distance. Shaak Ti wasn't shy but to have so many people watching her and Thel spar for some reason felt… well she can honestly say she didn't like the idea of others viewing her and Thel's spar. It felt less special for some reason, less intimate-

' _It's just a spar nothing more, nothing less'_ The Togruta shook her head as she and Thel approached an area where they could safely exchange blows without the risk of hitting someone.

Thel walked a bit further after Shaak Ti stopped before turning around a drawing his Lightsaber which emanated a blueish white color. Thel's lightsaber was quite unique given the fact that the handle was crafted to look like the handles of his people's legendary 'Energy Swords'. The blade also took the iconic two bladed appearance like most Energy Swords only that the 'blade' was solid energy instead of the somewhat transparent plasma appearance the Sangheili use.

Shaak Ti drew her own Lightsaber and a blue blade sprang to life as she got into her opening stance of the Makashi style while also shrugging off her brown cloak to allow her greater movement.

Thel entered the opening Stance of Juyo the seventh form of Lightsaber combat and the most vicious of all seven forms taught to the Jedi. The reason so few Jedi have learned this form is because many Jedi worry that learning this highly aggressive style could lead its practitioners to the Dark Side. But Shaak Ti thinks like with Master Windu's own variation of the form it was suited for Thel who species is well known for its warriors in that they strike with a brutal but graceful efficiency.

Thel's and Shaak Ti's stances had caught the attention of several nearby Padawans and fellow Jedi who began to observe the duo's sure to be spectacular fight.

Thel and Shaak Ti didn't move for several moments before Thel in a burst of force augmented seed that defied his size rushed the female Togruta. Shaak Ti was able to easily block Thel's attack but struggled under the strength of the blow before paring his saber away and pressing her advance. Between the two of them Shaak Ti knew that Thel was the better, stronger, and more versatile fighter but Shaak Ti had speed and agility on her side. While this was a simple spar she couldn't help but enjoy the adrenaline she felt has her and Thel's sabers met in fast rapid pace strikes.

Thel made several swipes at Shaak Ti's left side which she blocked before making a lunge of her own towards his right leg hoping he would block it allowing her to make another swipe to his shoulders. Thel seemed to be aware of her plan and backed away while blocking Shaak Ti's strikes with one hand which wasn't too difficult for someone of his speed and physical strength.

Thel 'Vadam and Shaak Ti spent the next few minutes in a blur of motion with their respective blades colliding with each other. Even though this was a simple spar they were both still treating it as if it was an actual duel and attacking with almost the same ferocity as if facing an actual opponent, something that the Sangheili and Togruta had a habit of doing in the past before both with each other and some of their fellow Jedi.

Shaak Ti however was unaware of the crowd she and Thel's spar was attracting as they used every form they have learned in their time at the temple to try and out do the other. Shaak Ti leapt over Thel and landed in a crouch and brought her blue blade up in time to halt Thel's overhead swing. Seeing this Thel applied more pressure and forced Shaak Ti closer and closer to the ground. Shaak Ti used her lightsaber to divert Thel's into the ground before placing distance between her and one of the Order's finest swordsman.

Thel quickly removed his blade from the ground and turned his attention back to his female sparring partner and gave her his equivalent of a wicked grin before tossing his lightsaber at Shaak Ti who merely deflected it back to Thel who in his time of catching it the Council member quickly covered the distance in a blur and brought her saber to Thel's neck and smiled in victory.

"Do you surrender, Master Thel?"

The armored Sangheili gave her a blank look before looking down causing Shaak Ti to do the same. What she saw surprised her, Thel had his left arm pointed at her with what looked like a small energy blade emanating from his wrist pointed straight at Shaak Ti's chest.

"I could ask the same of you Master Ti…" Thel trailed off as he stared into Shaak Ti's eyes with a weighted look in them.

Shaak Ti and Thel continued to stare at each other in silence before the Togruta sighed and deactivated her weapon followed soon by Thel as they took several steps from one another.

"You always were one to take simple spars so seriously my friend..." Shaak Ti said as she now felt the exhaustion start to hit her.

While the spar was brief, especially compared to their previous ones, it was still physically exhausting trying to match Thel's strength and trying to outpace him. More often than not Shaak Ti has to call upon the Force to somewhat even the playing field.

"Treat every spar as if it can become a battle to the death at a moment's notice" Thel stated as he holstered his deactivated lightsaber.

Shaak Ti hummed in agreement before realizing how many people were watching her and the armored Jedi's spar. After Shaak Ti gave the crowd of a pointed look they dispersed and returned to whatever it was they were doing before. She then used the force to call over her robe but did not bother putting it back on instead merely held it. She soon noticed Master Yoda on the other side of the courtyard making his way to her and Thel who went ahead and meet his former master halfway. When Thel was closer he bowed to Yoda who gave Thel a gentile smile and nodded before turning his attention to Shaak Ti who quickly followed Thel

"Greetings Master Thel, Master Shaak Ti. An interesting spar you had, yes?" The Grand Master of the Jedi Order questioned in a light tone.

Thel gave a grunt of acknowledgment "Indeed master Yoda"

"One for always improving your abilities you are Master Thel. Happy to meet you before you leave I am. Wish you luck I do in your missions" the centuries old Jedi master said as he and the two taller Jedi made their way into the Temple and out of the slightly humid air in the courtyard.

"With your training and my skill, luck will not be needed master" Thel said as he kept pace with Yoda.

"Hmm… perhaps right you are. Mindful of your pride however you should be my former apprentice. For your downfall, you will find if left unchecked" Yoda told his last official apprentice as the sounds of his walking stick echoed through the empty hallway along with Thel's armored foot falls.

"I am sorry master but I learned long ago here that if one is expected to survive they must rely on what they've learned and not false promises" Thel said as his mind drifted back to his days as a youngling and he often found himself alone more then he wished.

Shaak Ti saw a look of sadness wash over Yoda's features as he too seemed to remember Thel's difficult upbringing. She still remembers the look of fury when Yoda discovered that several Jedi were trying to sabotage Thel's development and growth; Shaak Ti's seen many terrifying things in her life but the sight of a truly enraged Yoda could send even a Zillo Beast running for the unknown regions and beyond.

Up until that moment Shaak Ti was really the only one to ever really stand up for Thel, not that there weren't others it was just that they never defended Thel with such conviction before, at least until Master Yoda.

The trio remained quiet until they came to an elevator lift and Master Yoda turned to address the two taller and vastly younger Jedi "A meeting with Master Kenobi I have. If see you again I do not Vadam, then may the Force be with you"

Thel nodded before kneeling down to his former master's level and looked deeply into his eyes "And with you as well my master"

Shaak Ti stared at Thel as master Yoda couldn't help the warm smile from appearing on his near millennium old face has he placed a comforting hand on Thel's armored for arm and gave him an encouraging nod. The old Jedi then turned and slowly made his way on to the lift that will take him to his meeting with Master Kenobi.

Thel rose and turned his attention to his female companion who was watching him with an unreadable look.

"…Yes?"

Shaak Ti blinked before saying in a soft voice "You really care for Master Yoda…"

Thel looked towards the other end of the hall before saying "He's been more of a father to me than anyone else here. And aside from you was the only one who ever had any hope for me to one day become a Jedi"

Shaak Ti nodded at her friend's answer "So now that our 'spar' is out of the way and you are scheduled to depart soon, is there anything you wish to do before you're off to war?"

Thel shook his head "No, though your company tot he hanger would be appreciated"

"Of course" Shaak Ti said with a nod.

The duo's trek to the temple's hanger was long and silent. A sort of tension hung in the air that neither could explain, nor felt confident in acknowledging. Upon their arrival they both saw the shuttle approaching in the distance and Shaak Ti saw Thel come to some sort of conclusion before he turned to her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Shaak Ti…"

"Yes?"

Shaak Ti watched as Thel seemed to struggle with something before he did something that froze her to the spot.

Thel slowly removed his helmet, leaving his head bare except for the guards on his mandibles and placed his forehead against her own. Because of the Sangheili having no lips they were incapable of 'kissing' most other beings, but Shaak Ti recognized Thel's move as a sort of replacement. As a Jedi Master of the Jedi High Council this sort of thing was strictly forbidden, in fact she should be stopping Thel but all she could do to her surprise is simply sigh as she closed her eyes and press her head back into Thel's. A sort of peace and serinity engulfed the two as the noise of the ship entered the bay Thel pulled back and placed his helmet back on and immediately made his way to the waiting shuttle that would take him to his new cruiser in orbit.

Shaak Ti remained where she was, watching Thel walk away with her heart beating at a rate she thought would cause it to explode. She didn't move even after the shuttle rose into the darkening Coruscant sky and the hanger was met with silence and the occasional droid making some noise in the distance.

The Togruta soon felt a hand land on her shoulder and she turned to the worried face of Anakin Skywalker who had seen the Council member standing here for some time now after he arrived in the hanger to tinker with his starfighter.

"Master Ti are you all right? You've been standing here for almost twenty minutes" The young Jedi said with concern.

Shaak Ti was surprised at how long she was here before shaking her head "Y-Yes I'm fine Skywalker I just… just said goodbye to a friend is all"

The answer seemed to have put Skywalker at ease "Oh? Who was it?"

"Thel 'Vadam…" Shaak Ti said as she placed her brown out robe back on her shoulders, feeling a little colder now that her friend was gone.

At the mention of the Jedi's name Skywalker let out a chuckle "Oh... heh I actually pity Dooku and the Separatist now with master Vadam entering the war. Those droids won't know what hit them"

Shaak Ti looked up towards the night sky and couldn't help the small smile from forming on her lips "No, no they won't…"

But Shaak Ti couldn't help but wonder, will Thel be ready for what hits him?

Will he even still be the same when they next meet?

...

* * *

And done.

Next chapter, Thel meets the troops...


	2. Chapter 2

answers to reviewers questions and statements:

 **rmarcano321** : Yes, Thel's methods and beliefs and views on the Force are... apart from most.

 **Shadow Walker of Fire** : Well I happen to have the sub part talent of incorporating the romance into the story in a manner that doesn't distract readers. That, and Thel's focus will be more on fighting a galactic war then trying to 'get some', he has his priorities.

 **superpierce** : Shaak Ti's in character, she hasn't done anything overly emotional, by her standards at least.

 **Fortitude501** : That it will, plus we'll be seeing in this story that just because Thel is a Jedi, doesn't mean that his Sangheili warrior spirit and brutal, almost merciless tactical mind is gone. Some of Thel's methods will be quite... controversial to his fellow Jedi.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Halo or Star Wars characters seen, mentioned or used.

* * *

When Thel first stepped on to the deck of what was to be both his home and center of military operations for the next several months, perhaps even years if the war did not come to a quick conclusion, he was surprised by the amount of clones there were. Dozens if not hundreds of them dressed in their white armor and naval uniforms running back and forth to preform a multitude of tasks.

 _'Interesting... I would have though the Republic would take every available Clone it had and put them on the battlefield while normal humans or even non-humans would fill the supporting roles'_ Thel thought as his gaze moved from one end of half kilometer long flight deck/hanger to the other.

Thel grunted as he prepared to make his way to the bridge, or at the very least find someone to lead him there, when he saw several Clones clad in Republic Navy officers uniforms approaching him. Thel noted their rank insignias as Ensigns with a Commander leading them.

"General 'Vadam!" the commander shot off a salute, along with his entourage.

"Commander..." Thel nodded towards the ship's Shimpmaster "I take it you are here to greet me and show me around your vessel?"

The Clone nodded at this though he had a slightly confused expression on his face "Yes Sir, but the ship is now under your command"

"Perhaps, but my people believe that a ship is not yours until you've commanded it in battle..." Thel said with a hand gesture "Let's get on with the tour Commander"

"Yes sir!" the Clone nodded as he gestured for Thel to follow him towards the bridge.

Thel glanced around the hanger one more time, taking a quick mental inventory of all the fighters, gunships and other craft he could see before he turned his attention to the Commander as he began his tour.

"The Reclaimer is, as you know, a Venator-Class Star Destroyer that will be serving as the flagship of your battle group once we link up with the Autumn and Dawn" the Commander said as he nodded towards the fast attack craft Thel noticed earlier "We have over a hundred and ninety two V-19 Torrent starfighters, thirty six ARC-170 starfighters, and over a hundred of the new BTL-B Y-wing starfighters"

Thel hummed at this "Several squadrons... impressive this vessel can hold so many"

It was than one of the ensigns spoke up "Sir, we also have forty Gunships and twenty four Walkers for planetary operations"

"And troops?" Thel said as he turned towards the officer "How many men will I be leading into battle?"

"Just over two thousand sir" the officer responded "About the standard amount for a legion"

"Does this legion have a name?" Thel inquired.

"The hundred and eigth sir" the same officer answered.

Thel hummed as he and the officers entered the hallway, passing several Clone Troopers who saluted Thel. The Sangheili responded with a nod as he and the Commander approached the lift that would take them to the bridge. It was just before they entered the lift that Thel noticed four Clones making their way through the halls, but these ones seemed very different compared to the rest of their 'brothers'.

Their armor looked to be of far better quality than the standard armor the various Clones around them wore. Their helmets lacked the odd fins on top and the visors were all gold in color instead of the standard black. Their armor was also colored an olive green with blue markings on the armor, legs and head, further distinguishing themselves from their fellow Clones.

The commander seemed to notice Thel's attention was somewhere else and followed the large alien's gaze before he nodded "That's the Commando squad attached to our unit sir"

"Commandos?" Thel said as he glanced at the officer.

"Better trained, better armed, and better equipped" the Commander said with a nod "However, they differ from most Commando units in that they've all received ARC training, making them even deadlier"

Thel hummed at this as he watched the Commandos disappear from his view down another hallway "And what do I call this squad Commander?"

"Blue Team, sir. Their lead by Master Chief CT-0117 " the Commander said as he gestured to the elevator "I can introduce you to them later sir, if you wish"

Thel nodded as he stepped into the elevator and di his best to provide room for the smaller, unarmored individuals. The ride up was silent and mercifully quick, Thel wasn't much for small talk and the Clones didn't seem to know what to make of their new General. Most Jedi they read about and observed, while warriors, didn't appear tp be the same breed as Thel 'Vadam. Where's Jedi were defenders of peace and liberty, the Sangheili struck them as someone that thrived off conflict, though given his species history and heritage, that was putting it mildly.

"Tell me commander, have you and your men seen combat before?" Thel said as the elevator doors opened to the ship's bridge.

The commander nodded "Yes sir, our ship helped punch through the Separatist Fleet over Genenosis and allowed our Acclamatos to land and deploy their troops to aid the Jedi against the Separatist army"

Thel nodded as he made his way across the walkway that gave him a bird's eye view of the crew pits on each side. Some of the operators paused in their duties and spared a quick glance at Thel, their attention attracted to his armored footfalls and general size before they returned to their assignments. The Sangheili Jedi came to a stop before the ship's window which offered him a panoramic view of space as the Reclaimer began to leave Coruscant's orbit and prepare for a Hyperspace jump and link up with the other two ships in his small fleet.

 _'Something tells me that it'll be quite some time until I see this world again..._ ' Thel thought as he watched the Republic capital slowly grow smaller and smaller.

It then struck him that it'll be quite some time until he saw Shaak Ti again, if ever. In war, nothing was certain and Thel wasn't optimistic enough to think he'll live to see the end of this new galaxy spanning conflict.

 _'Hopefully she'll avoid any Frontline duties... She's far too gentle for the horrors of war_ ' Thel thought before the ship's commander approached him and came to attention.

"Sir, we're ready for the jump to Lightspeed" the Clone stated.

Thel nodded as he turned towards the man "Then by your digression Commander, and alert the shipmasters of the Autumn and Dawn that when we link up, I will be inspecting their vessels and their troops as well. I wish to know as much of my army and fleet as possible. It'll make my strategizing for future engagements easier"

"Yes sir" the Commander said with a nod as he turned and headed back to the holotable that sat within the communications HUB that was connected to the bridge while Thel turned back towards the window just in time to see his vessel enter Hyperspace.

...

Shaak Ti let out a tired sigh as she entered her room, tossing her robe on to a chair while she made her way to the fresher to ready herself for bed. She had an early day tomorrow in the form of several meetings, one with the rest of the Jedi Council and the other with chancellor Palpatine and several of his advisors. She took a quick shower and quickly changed into a partially see through nightgown, a well intentioned but unnecessary gift from Quinlan Vos on one of his undercover missions to some Hutt stronghold on Nar Shaddaa a few years ago. Still, she wont deny that it was extremely comfortable to sleep in... and the look on Thel's face when she first showed it to him after she got it was rather amusing.

 _'I've never seen a Sangheili blush and stutter quite like he did'_ Shaak Ti thought with a smile as she prepared reached for the covers before she sensed someone on the other side of her door followed by a knock.

Shaak Ti sighed a little as she summoned her cloak to her hand and drew it over her shoulders and approached the door and with a slight nudge from the Force, opened it to reveal one of her oldest and closest friends outside of Thel, Luminara Unduli. The Togruta smiled at the Mirialan beauty and gestured for her to enter her room before she closed the door.

"Master Unduli" Shaak Ti said as she turned towards the woman with a playful frown "Is there a reason you've graced me with your presence this evening?"

"I heard that Thel has been deployed and wished to see how you were taking it" Luminara said as she turned back to Shaak Ti.

"Oh... well thank you" Shaak Ti said with a nod.

"It is what friends do for one another" Luminara chuckled before she noticed the Togruta beauty's attire under her robe and made a face "You still have that atrocious thing?"

Shaak Ti grinned a little "It's quite comfortable sleep wear Luminara"

"Shaak Ti, you and I both know that... outfit... was created for something far different then sleeping" Luminara said with bemusement.

"I believe it is merely a matter of perspective" Shaak Ti countered as she folded her arms across her bust "And it's not like I could refuse it when he offered it to me on my birthday"

"I refused a gift from him on my birthday that was highly inappropriate" Luminara replied with a shake of her head "And to give me such a thing in front of Barris. Do you understand how embarrassing it was to explain to her what it was that Quilan gave me and what it's function was?"

"I can imagine" Shaak Ti smirked slightly in amusement at the image.

Luminara chuckled as she went and sat on the edge of Shaak Ti's bed and ran a hand over the soft silk sheets for a moment before she turned her gaze towards the Togruta "I've been told that you are being sent to Kamino to oversee the training of the Clones"

"I am" Shaak Ti said with a nod "There are those on the Council, myself included, that wish to see just how our new army was developed, trained and prepared to be sent out into the Galaxy"

"Is Thel aware of this?" Luminara asked with interest.

"Shaak Ti shook her head "No"

"Is there a reason?" Luminara questioned.

"He never asked and honestly I forgot to tell him. My mind was... distracted" Shaak Ti said as she glanced over Luminara's head and out the window to view the cityscape of Coruscant.

"Oh, distracted by what?" Luminara asked with a raised brow.

Shaak Ti's mind wandered back to the feeling of Thel's head pressed against her own before she shook her head and sighed "I was busy enjoying mine and Thel's company untill he departed. It could be weeks until I hear or see him again... months even"

"His presence will be sorely missed" Luminara agreed with a nod.

"Not by all and… I fear for him Luminara" Shaak Ti said with a sigh as she gazed out her window "You know Thel has always struggled with his people's close connection to the Dark Side. To resist the lust for blood and war that have made the Sangheili one of the most feared races in the known Galaxy. And now, he's being thrown into a war where he'll find blood and death in more abundance than Credits in the Banking Clan's vaults"

Luminara nodded at this and shared in her friend's worry for Thel. The Order has lost enough good Jedi to the Dark Side in recent years and likely even more in the coming months. It'd be a tragedy, and a nightmare if Thel joined them as well.

"I understand your concerns, but you must be careful Shaak Ti, less you begin to stray from the Jedi Code" Luminara said in a slightly more serious tone than before "If he falls, unlikely as that is, you must be ready to let him go and uphold your duty"

The Togruta Jedi nodded at this before he gaze flickered back towards the window _'I understand... but I'm afraid I may already have begun to stray Luminara...'_

...

Several hours after linking up with the Autumn and Dawn, Thel found himself standing outside the quarters of the Clone Commandos after having met with over a dozen of his legion's various field officers. He was pleased to find that his men were veterans, having taken part in the battle for Geonosis, something he was still angered to have missed if half of what Shaak Ti described was accurate.

'Next time the Chancellor requires a Jedi to escort the Senator of Alderaan to some remote Outer Rim world to negotiate with some sort of fledging Democracy, I'm volunteering Siri for it' Thel thought with a grunt as the door slid open and he stepped inside the Commando's quarters and was greeted to the four highly trained Clones, their helmets and upper body armor off, sitting around a holotable with various weapons and equipment spread out before them.

They turned towards Thel and their eyes widened before they all stood and came to attention.

"General on deck!" the squad's leader barked out.

Thel entered the room and nodded towards the Clone "At ease..."

"Sir" the four coursed at the same time and relaxed their postures, three of them returning to their seats while their leader took a few steps towards Thel.

"I take it your the leader of these men?" Thel questioned as he examined the Clone, noting that his head was shaved and he possessed a few faint scars on his scalp and face.

"Sir, I'm Master Chief CT-0117! I'm team leader for Blue Team, sir" the Clone said before he began to point to his individual men, the first being the apparent sniper of the team given the disassembled DC-15x before him " Petty Officer Second Class CT-0226, Jun, my team's scout and designated marksman"

"Best in the army sir" Jun said with a two finger salute and a small confident grin.

"Indeed" Thel said with a trace of amusement as CT-0117 pointed to the Commando next to Jun "Petty Officer Second Class CT-0052, Jorge, heavy weapons and demolitions expert"

"Sir" the Clone said, his face covered with faint burns and scratches and a bit of hair on his left side missing, having looked to have been burnt off recently.

Thel then turned his attention to the last member of CT-0117's team while said Clone identified the man "And this, sir, is Petty Officer First Class CT-0051, Kurt. Our resident linguistic expert, tech and infiltration specialist. He has a way with people sir and can get a good read on most"

"Interesting traits for a Commando to posses, given most you encounter in your missions will be less than friendly in return and wont be concealing it" Thel commented, causing Kurt to chuckle.

"Yes sir, but we do interact with people that are a bit more chatty and won't shoot us on sight... at first"

Thel grunted as he turned his attention to the team's leader "And you CT-0117? What are your specialties?"

"Close quarters sir" the Commando responded.

"And being very, very lucky" Kurt added with a smirk, causing he rest of the team to chuckle while Thel raised a brow at this.

"Am I missing the joke Master Chief?" Thel asked.

CT-0117 shook his head "No sir, just a dumb little belief that some of my men have. They think that just because things tend to end better than the norm for me, I must be lucky"

"Luck is an incredibly useful asset to have on in your arsenal Master Chief, in any soldier's arsenal. Skill and determination will only you get you so far in a battle" Thel stated.

"Yes sir, that's why I usually why I rely on superior firepower, good intel and my men" CT-0117 responded with a nod.

Thel hummed at this as he glanced at the squad of commandos again and their various weaponry that they had on display "Tell me Master Chief, what sort of missions will I be either sending you out on, or issuing you in the coming days? Something tells me it wont be simple scouting runs"

"Sir, my team specializes in infiltration and sabotage or destruction of enemy ships during orbital battles, deep space engagements or even being sent behind enemy lines. Given we work so closely with the Republic Navy, we were granted Naval rankings instead of the standard Army and Marine ranks that most other Commando units have. We also have training in open warfare, providing heavy fire support against strategic enemy positions and when the situation is presented, assignation of the enemy's commanding officer, or officers" The Clone stated in a crisp tone.

Thel hummed at this "You sound not all too different from the Silent Shadow..."

The clone's brow furrowed in confusion at this "Silent Shadow sir?"

"An elite Sangheili spec ops team that specializes in areas similar to your team here" Thel nodded towards the Commando and his men "Along with a few other areas that to you, may seem odd but highly important to my people's religion"

CT-0117 nodded at this as Thel looked down at a DC-17A blaster rifle and picked it up and examined the weapon with a thoughtful expression. While from a distance it looked no different tot eh thousands of other rifles their Clone brethren carried, Thel could clearly see this rifle has been modified to shoot more powerful energy rounds even greater distances than the standard issued rifle.

Thel nodded to himself as he handed the rifle to CT-0117 "A fine weapon Master Chief. A lot can be said about a warrior based on his weapon and armor"

"Thank you sir" the Commando nodded as he set the rifle back down.

It was than that Thel noticed that Jun was looking at him with a perplexed look on his face, causing Thel to tilt his head towards the Clone "Yes, Jun?"

The sniper blinked before he cleared his throat as he saw the rest of his squad looking at him, with the Chief's look holding a look that seemed to say 'careful what you say'.

"Sorry sir, it's just your... different, to other Jedi I've seen I mean" Jun said as he found his rifle even more interesting than usual.

"Oh, in what way Petty Officer?" Thel asked, his tone neutral while CT-0117's expression was stony and his eyes were screaming at Jun to either end the topic there or be very, very mindful of what he was about to say and pray the large armored alien with a Lightsaber didn't take too much offense.

"W-Well, it's just your... in armor, sir" Jun said with a hint of nervousness in his voice as he tried not to sweat under both his team leader and new Commanding Officer's gazes "Most Jedi I've met were in either their robes or at the very least, armored clothing where's your in actual battle grade armor"

Thel hummed at this "Yes, I suppose my appearance isn't very... Jedi"

"He means that in a good way sir" Jorge said, hoping to draw Thel's attention away from Jun "Very intimidating"

Thel chuckled dryly at this as memories of past, more harmful comments by his fellow Jedi came to mind "Indeed, I could very well be mistaken for a Sith"

"Something tells me you'd make one kriffin scary Sith Lord sir" Jun said with a snicker.

"Perhaps..." Thel said with a nod before his communicator went off, causing Thel to sigh "Excuse me, I must take this"

"Of course sir" CT-0117 said with a nod and watched as Thel prepared to leave before he spoke "And sir?"

"Hmm?" Thel sounded as he turned back to Blue Team's leader.

"I and my men look forward to fighting beside you" the Clone Commando said.

Thel blinked at this before he gave his species equivalent of a grin to the elite team of Clones.

"As do I Master Chief... as do I"

...

* * *

And done.

Next chapter, Meetings, more meetings and a routine patrol gone awry...


	3. Chapter 3

answers to reveiwers questions and statements:

 **Trey Alexander** : Thel knows several advance Sangheili swordsman styles that he's incorporated into his fighting style. He's also mastered the other seven main forms of Lightsaber combat, he just prefers Juyo/Vaapad the most as it allows him to effectively channel his inner darkness. I'll be using more of the Canon timeline when it comes to the Clone Wars but there will be a lot of events and characters from the Legends continuity.

 **lord web life of destiny** : The UNSC isn't in this story and Thel is considered the second most powerful Jedi in the Order currently.

 **Shadow Walker of Fire** : No, Thel won't.

 **human dragon** : I have plans to have Red Team and Grey team make appearances, though there'll be a slight alteration to their members given that on those teams, they've had female Spartans and the Clone army is all male. The Sangheili will become involved in the war. Yes the other Covenant races will appear, some on the side of the Republic, some on the Separatist and others neutral. No, there will not be.

 **711Cryptid** : Fem Spaertans being male? The Spartans that have been rolled over into the Clone Commandos are all male in Halo. If you mean will I be gender bending any Female Spartans in this fic, then no I won't be.

 **Bladewolf10** 1: One day. So long as you don't copy the story almost word for word and replace the main character with your OC like you seem to be doing with a lot of mine.

 **superpierce** : Powerful enough that even the Republic with it's Clone Army wouldn't feel confident in taking them on in a all out war. The Sangheili Army and Navy is every bit as powerful as the Ancient Mandalore Crusading armies were, they could go toe to toe with the Republic's forces, Jedi included. Yes the Sangheili have a code of honor and do have an Arbiter. Not many, while the Sangheili have a close connection to the Dark side of the Force, they've never been part of the Sith like the Sith species or members of their ancient Empires. There's been a total of like three Sith Sangheili in the recorded history of the known Galaxy and the last one died out during the Republic's war witht he Brotherhood of Darkness.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Halo and Star Wars characetrs seen, mentioned or used.

* * *

What many didn't know about being a high ranking General in the Republic's newest Clone army, any kind of army for that matter, was that it was almost ninety percent logistical work.

When Thel was first offered this command and accepted only a month ago, he knew to expect long days of nothing but bureaucratic nonsense, long drown out briefings and hours upon hours of inspections of the various squadrons and battalions under his command. While he did have help in the form of his new executive officer, Commander Keys, and that of the Shipmasters of the Autumn and the Dawn, Commander's Cole and Hood respectively, there were some days that Thel went without sleep for almost two planetary rotations straight from the sheer amount of work he had.

' _Still, it's far better than helping Jocasta and her archivists take inventory of the various Holocrons in the Temple's archives_ ' Thel mused as he read a datapad on the latest shipment of DC-17A Blaster Rifles.

Across from Thel sat the three shimpmasters Keys, Cole and Hood with datpads on the status of their ship's supplies. Next to Thel sat the Commanding officer of the legion of troops under his command, Captain Deviss, and beside him sat Master Chief CT-0117 who were both going over ammo, medical supplies and field rations for their men.

The room was stalk quiet, the only sounds being the occasional grunt, sigh, shift in seating position or the typing on the datpads. Thel found it oddly comforting and a great chance to better observe his men when they weren't under fire. The Master Chief and Deviss, Thel noticed, seemed to have a air of impatience as they would shift and move minutely in their seats more than the Naval officers would. It was clear to Thel that they were the type of soldiers who liked to be 'on the move' rather than sitting around where's their Naval counterparts seemed more reserved and cautious.

Thel filed this thought away for later study as he placed down his Datapad and used the Force to call over another that was just a bit out of reach. He could have stood up and retrieved it, but he was rather comfortable in his seat and trying to find the same spot again didn't sound very appealing to Thel.

 _'That... and I do enjoy the looks of both unease and intrigue on the Clones' faces when they see me utilize the Force'_ Thel thought with a hidden grin as he looked at the latest reports of soldiers slated for promotions and in some cases, demotions.

A quick look over of the recipients of each and Thel signed off on it before putting it down and craned his neck to the side until he heard a satisfying 'Crack' and a relieve of tension building in the vertebrae.

"Sir, are you alright?" Deviss asked as he glanced at the Sangheili after hearing the audible 'crack' from the large alien being.

"Yes Captain... just relieving tension" Thel responded as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his exposed head.

"We could take a break sir" Keys stated as he typed in a few commands on the Datapad.

"I wouldn't be against such a thing" Hood muttered as he stared blankly at his Datapad's screen "I feel like my eyes are going to melt out of their sockets at this rate"

Thel chuckled at this as he lifted his helmet off the table, the light reflecting off the chrome like silver surface of the Sangheili head ware and placed it on as he stood up "Very well..."

The group quickly dispersed from the conference room and headed for the galley in time for lunch, at least Thel believed it was lunch.

 _'Adjusting to the passage of time and the slight decrease in gravity on a ship in space is maddening'_ Thel thought as he and his commanders passed several troops on the way to the mess hall _'How so many in the Galaxy spend their whole lives in space is beyond me. I much prefer my feet planted on something more... terrestrial'_

After a few turns and descending a level, Thel and his men arrived in the mess hall and quickly dispersed, The officers going to their corner of the hall and the Master Chief headed for the portion that was reserved for the non commissioned Clones where is men had already occupied a table. Thel watched them go and soon found himself standing alone in the middle of the mess, surrounded on all sides by Clones, many with their helmets off as they talked and ate. After a few seconds, Thel grunted as he made his way to the line and acquired a tray and his meal, several slices of meat from some sort of animal in the Galaxy, a large glass of water.

The Sangheili then turned on his heel and made his way to a sparsely occupied table and sat towards the end and removed his helmet and placed his Lightsaber on the table, in full view of anyone that passed by. It was an old custom of his people that when warriors are to eat, they must have their weapons out so as to prevent any underhanded actions like slaying a fellow warrior but still close enough to arm should something unexpected were to occur.

 _"Thel, we are surrounded by our brothers and sisters, none of them would ever wish you any harm"_ Shaak Ti's voice echoed through his mind.

 _'Warriors reach old age because they are careful_ ' Thel thought as he lifted the meat up and sunk his tooth filled mandibles into it.

The meat was fairly seasoned, a bit too much in Thel's opinion but he's had worse in the form of Master Yoda's cooking. A great teacher he was, but a skilled cook he was not. Thel snorted in amusement at the thought as he continued to eat his meal while he observed the various Clones around him. Most from what he could sense had an air of calm serenity and ease but an underlining feeling off impatience and eagerness for conflict buried so deep that Thel doubted many Jedi would be able to sense it. It seems Jango Fett's Mandalorian heritage ran deep in his genes.

 _'I wonder if it's occurred to any of the Jedi that we're relying on essentially an army of Mandalorians to fight for us'_ Thel thought with grim amusement as he took a sip of his water.

It was than that Thel noticed a officer hurrying towards him, causing Thel to frown at the Clone as he set his water on the table "Yes Lieutenant?"

The Clone stopped and came to attention "So, we're being contacted by the Outer Rim Command"

Thel nodded at this as he stood up and placed his helmet back on and reattached his Lightsaber to his side "Very well. I shall be up in a moment"

"Sir" the Clone nodded before he turned on his heel and made his way back to the bridge to prepare for Thel's arrival.

...

"Ah, greetings Master 'Vadam" came the calm, almost carring voice of Chancellor Palpatine as Thel approached the Holotable that had both the Chancellor's image and several other Jedi, one of them being Mace Windu.

"Chancellor" Thel gave a very slight bow to the man before he addressed his fellow Jedi "Master Windu, Master Kota, Vos"

"Hey, why don't I get called master like the others?" Quinlan Vos asked with a frown.

"Because you have yet to prove to me you are a Master of anything aside from being an annoyance" Thel stated dryly, causing Kota to snort.

"Your mean" Vos said with a pout, causing Thel to grunt as he turned towards the more respected members of both the Jedi Order and the Republic "I was told you wished to speak with me on something?"

"Yes" Mace said with a nod as another holographic image appeared, this one of a beautiful female Chiss that had a small confident grin on her face, clad in some sort of military uniform that Thel couldn't identify but looked familiar "This, is General Sev'rance Tann, of the Chiss Ascendancy and if rumors are true, one of Dooku's Dark Acolytes"

"Chiss, what is she doing all the way out here?" Thel asked with a frown before he glanced at the Jedi and Chancellor "Has Dooku gained them as allies?"

"Palpatine shook his head at this "We do not believe so. It seems that this Chiss is acting in her own interests, though we have no way of verifying this with the Chiss Ascendancy itself, given their reclusive and isolationist behavior"

"And the fact that their' far beyond known space in the Unknown Regions" Vos supplied as he gestured to the Chiss "She's been spotted leading a moderately large fleet of warship within several lightyears of your fleet"

"Would you have me eliminate her?" Thel questioned just before Thel felt a shift in the Force just as several Officers entered the communications room with frantic looks on their faces.

"General!" one of them said as Thel turned towards them with a raised brow.

"What is it Commander Keys?"

"Sir, several Separatist warships have just come out of Hyperspace at the edge of the system and are approaching fast. We have confirmation it's the Separatists General Sev'rance Tann's fleet" the Clone responded, causing Thel to grunt as Vos snickered.

"Guess you have your answer" the Kiffar said while Rahm Kota stepped forward.

"My fleet is nearby, my militia and I can provide assistance-"

"That will not be necessary Master Kota" Thel said as he turned to leave "I will deal with her myself"

"Master 'Vadam?" the Chancellor said after he cleared his throat to gain the Sangheili's attention.

"Yes, Chancellor?" Thel turned his attention to the leader of the Republic.

"If possible, could you take her alive? She could posses valuable knowledge on Separatists supply routes, military installations and even whether or not the Chiss have joined Dooku's forces or not"

Thel stated at the elderly man for several moments before he adverted his attention to another part of the room "If the attempt does not endanger more of my men's lives than necessary, I will do what I can"

"That's all we ask" Mace said with a nod "But be warned Master 'Vadam, Sev'rance has yet to lose any military engagement she's been a commander of"

"Then it is time I end her streak" Thel said before the images of Outer Rim command faded and he turned his attention to Commander Keys "Ready our fighters and bombers. And have our men on standby incase of attempted boarding's"

"Yes sir" Keys said with a nod as he gestured for several officers to follow him while Thel made his way back on to the bridge to view the Separatist Fleet as it begun it's approach on his battle group.

It was composed of nine ships, that he could see, outnumbering his fleet three to one. Two Recusant-class light Destroyers were at the head of the fleet with six Munificent- class star frigates trailing behind them and at the very rear of the fleet, a single Lucrehulk-class battleship. Thel hummed as he saw the ships spread out, from the looks of it, the Destroyers would engage Thel's ships from the front while the frigates flanked them.

"Sir, they outnumber us three to one, what are your orders?" Keys said as he approached Thel and gazed at the approaching ships. They weren't within effective firing range quite yet but the Separatists were already launching dozens of Vulture droids towards them.

Thel's eyes narrowed as he observed the incoming fighters and ships "Three to one you say commander?"

"Yes sir" Keys said with a nod, causing Thel to almost chuckle in response.

"Then it shall be an even fight" Thel concluded as he pointed right towards the fleet of droids and their Chiss commander "Have the Autumn and Dawn launch their fighters and bombers and attack the frigates while they focus on the Destroyers"

"And us sir?" Keys asked, suddenly getting a bad feeling at the gleam in his General's eye.

"All non essential power to the engines and shields Commander, ram Sev'rance's vessel with our own" Thel stated as he folded his arms across his chest.

Keys, along with several other Clone officers all balked at this with the Commander pointing towards the enemy fleet "Sir, you want us to charge into the heart of that fleet and try to ram into it's flagship?"

"Yes" Thel replied.

"Sir, their ships will tear us apart" Keys said.

"Which is why I've asked you to have the Autumn and Dawn provide covering fire along with their bombers and fighters. Once more, the Destroyers will move out of the way once they realize we won't change our course. I'm wagering that out shields and speed will be enough to get us past them. After which we launch our own fighters and bombers to attack any of the Droid's starfighters and bombers while we focus our weapons on the flagship" Thel said as he turned towards Keys "I gave you your orders Commander, now follow through with them"

Keys nodded "Yes sir, right away"

Thel turned his attention back to the approaching fleet with narrowed eyes "Now lets see if my gamble will pay off..."

The Force wasn't whispering for him to cease his plan or run away, so he had to be doing something right.

...

Shaak Ti had to admit that she was very impressed with the training regime the Kamionians had developed along side the late Jango Fett for the Clones.

 _'It's very... Mandalore_ ' Shaak Ti with dry amusement at the irony that the Jedi and the Republic were for all intents and purposes relying on the Clones of a Mandalorian warrior to fight and win this war for them.

The thought was even more amusing when she imagined the looks on the long dead Mandalorian warlords and their Neo-Crusaders that waged war upon the Republic in the distant past.

However, Shaak Ti did have her reservations on what the Kaminoians did to Clones they considered... failures.

Be it because they developed physical deformations, mental issues or just seemed to be uncooperative and trouble makers of some sort. Their 'Correctional Programs' bordered on War Crimes in the Togruta's opinion and she's been in talks with the Minister and Kamino's top researchers to have it amended. She was making progress with the Minister, but the researchers were proving to be a bit more difficult as they did raise valid arguments against Shaak Ti's own.

The Jedi Master sighed at this as she overlooked several classes of Clones created a little over six years ago studying Republic Military history. She turned away from the classes and began to make her way down the sterile like hallways towards the gyms and rooms reserved for hand to hand combat training.

 _'It'd be so much easier of they were some corrupt, greedy race that revels in pain and misery. But their just doing what they believe is right without a hint of malice'_ Shaak Ti thought as she passed several Kamionian scientist and gave them a polite nod _'Though, their cool detached logical thinking and reasoning could be seen as a type of malice in some cases...'_

Shaak Ti eventually reached the area of the facility that operated as the Clone's martial arts dojos, grappling classes, weapon retention, and various other hand to hand combat techniques, many of which the Jedi Master noted were either Mandalorian or Mandalorian influenced. Hers eyes watched with keen interest as dozens of Clones gathered around various mats and watched as Mandalorian bounty hunters and older Fett Clones instructed the recruits how to disarm an opponent or outright kill them, be they armed or not.

"Master Shaak Ti?" a light feminine voice spoke up from behind the Jedi Master.

Shaak Ti turned and was greeted to one of the tall, long slender neck scientist of Kamino and gave them a small nod "Yes?"

"Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi is contacting us and requesting to speak with you" the Kaminoan said as she gestured for Shaak Ti to follow her.

The Jedi master took one last look at the training Clones before she followed after the Kaminoan, passing several other of the planet's inhabitants, both Clone and Kaminoan alike before the two entered what acted as the facility's main communications HUB. Several Clones and their Kaminoan breeders worked at various consoles as it displayed information on the various batches of Clones being bred, trained and soon to be armed and shipped off to the front lines. At the center of the room was a large holotable where the Kaminoan that escorted Shaak Ti was standing beside. She nodded towards the device as the Togruta Jedi approached and answered the call.

Shaak Ti watched as the holographic images of Jedi Masters' Daakman Barrek and fellow Jedi Council member Ki-Adi-Mundi appeared. She gave the two male Jedi a small respectful bow "Master Mundi, Master Barrek, greetings"

"Greetings Master Ti" Mundi said with a bow and grin of his own.

"It's been a long time "Shaak Ti" Barrek said with his own bow "How is Kamino?"

"Stormy" Shaak Ti said as she straightened herself "May I ask what the meaning of this meeting is?"

"Shaak Ti, Master Barrek and his apprentice have discovered evidence that the Separatist are building or have already built a massive Droid Factory on Hypori and the Council has been tasked with us destroying it" Mundi said before nodding towards the Togruta Jedi Master "I was hoping that you would attach yourself to the detachment being sent out from Kamino to link up with us and help stop the production of any more Droids"

Shaak Ti frowned at this "You want me to aid you in this assault?"

"If you would, however we are aware of your duties on Kamino and if this conflicts with them, you have every right to refuse" Barrek injected as he glanced at Mundi "We already have several other Jedi accompanying us. But Master Mundi feels we'll have more success with you aiding us"

Shaak Ti cupped her chin at this and mulled the offer over before she glanced up at the two Jedi masters "And who are these fellow Jedi?"

"Aayla, K'Kruhk, and Tarr Seirr" Mundi supplied.

"Well you are not short on skilled and experienced Jedi" Shaak Ti stated.

"Indeed" Mundi nodded in agreement.

After a few moments, Shaak Ti finally nodded at the two Jedi masters "I shall be there soon to aid you in the destruction of this factory"

"Thank you master Shaak Ti" Barrek said with a bow "With your aid, this battle should be over quickly"

Shaak Ti chuckled at this "Several Masters and a few soon to be Knighted Jedi, I almost pity the Droids Master Barrek"

Years from now, Shaak Ti would be banging her head against a wall for her words.

…

* * *

And done.

Next chapter, an unorthodox tactic...


	4. Chapter 4

answers to reviewers questions and statements:

 **rmarcano321** : Mine's a four way tie between Darth Vader, Darth Malgus, Alpha-17 and Obi-wan Kenobi.

 **Trey Alexander** : Grievous won't be the only challenge that Thel will face in this war.

 **711Cryptid** : Thel will react the same as he always does when met with such a foe... a metric fuck ton of firepower, his trusty Energy Sword, and the raw unbridled rage that is the Sangheili warrior spirt, with some help from the Force.

 **superpierce** : When did I ever say the Forerunners were never in this universe at some point and time?

Disclaimer: I don't own any Star Wars or Halo characters seen, mentioned or used.

* * *

Thel remained perfectly still on the bridge as he watched his ships move into formation, the Autumn and Dawn breaking off and firing off their salvos of Turbo lasers while dozens of fighters and bombers flew towards the approaching Vulture droids and right through them towards the enemy Frigates, forcing a number of the Droid fighters to break off and chase after them. Around Thel his bridge worked to put his plan into motion and have all non essential power diverted to shields and engines while the Separatist destroyers opened fire on them. Thel could feel the faint tremors in the Reclaimer as it was struck by several high velocity energy blasts from the enemy warships as the Republic cruiser pushed through the volley and towards the two heavily armed vessels.

The ships started to spilt off as Thel's warship continued onwards, believing that he may be trying to ram them, just as Thel had hoped they would.

"Must have Droids for commanders and they calculated that I'm attempting to ram into them" Thel muttered to himself as he watched as the Reclaimer just barely squeezed through the two warships who had decreased the volume of their fire to avoid missing and hitting one another.

"Sir, should we fire at them as we past?" Keys asked as he stood beside Thel.

Thel nodded "Aim at their engines and near where their bridges are located but do not fire with the large guns if it means drawing more power from our own engines or shields"

"Understood General" Keys said as he went and distributed orders to the gunners while Thel watched as Sev'rance's flagship began to launch fighters of it's own towards Thel's approaching vessel and towards the frigates to help re-enforce their defenses against the fast moving republic craft.

Thel felt and watched as the Reclaimer fired off several turbo lasers at the destroyers on each side as they cleared them, striking their engines and causing several smaller explosions to spread across it's aft. A officer reported that one of the Destroyer's engines was completely disabled, leaving it as a floating target as the Autumn began to pepper it's hull with it's own turbo lasers.

 _'Now comes the hard part_ ' Thel thought as the Reclaimer pushed on through, passing through several Separatists frigates fields of fire.

The ship shook and groaned as bits of the hull were blasted into space or partially melted by the Reclaimers speed and shields allowed it to pass through with moderate damage, causing Thel to let out a minute sigh of relief before he nodded towards Keys "Launch all fighters and bombers Commander"

"Yes sir" Keys said with a nod before looking to one of the officers in the pit beside the bridge's platform "Launch all fighters and bombers"

Thel watched as his ship's contingent of star craft shoot out from the various hangers on his vessel and into the cold vacuum of space and either engage any enemy droid fighters near the Reclaimer or flew off to engage the Separatists warships. The frigates continued to fire at Thel's warship as it neared the command vessel for Sev'rance's vessel before a sudden and powerful shockwave flowed through the ship. Thel stumbled slightly while a few Clone officers outright fell to the ground while others did there best to hold on to the nearest console.

'That's not good' Thel thought with a frown as he saw that his vessel was still drifting towards Sev'rance's warship but it's trajectory was a little off and seemed more out of control then before.

"Status report Commander" Thel said as he turned towards the approaching Clone officer.

"Sir, our engines are offline and so are our shields. Point defense turrets and Turbo lasers however are still functional and I've ordered a squadron of fighters to stay close and ward off any bombers. Commander Hood and Commander Cole's ships are holding their own and we've received word from Hood that he's disabled one of the destroyers and is moving to help his fighters with the frigates while Cole keeps the last destroyer busy. None of the Seppies warships will be able to help their flagship without turning their backs on them sir, giving them an even easier target to destroy" Keys said.

Thel nodded at this "Very good Commander, though have Hood and Cole render the last destroyer out of commission and help our fighters with the Frigates. They can finish them off later"

"Yes sir, understood" Keys said with a nod before he gestured towards the flagship before them "And Sev'rance's ship sir?"

Thel's eyes narrowed as he observed the Separatist warship before he turned back towards Keys.

"Tell Blue Team to meet me in the hanger and have a Gunship on standby"

The commander blinked at this before he nodded as Thel walked past him and to the bridge's elevator "Understood sir, but may I ask why?"

Thel glanced back at Keys with what the Clone assumed was a feral grin on his face.

"I'm going over to accept the enemy commander's surrender in person. Even if I have to hold my blade to her throat to get it"

...

As Thel made his way down to the hanger, Blue team had already arrived and were in the midst of loading up their gunship for the combat insertion when Jorge finally decided to speak after several minutes of silence.

"Sounds like the Navy's putting up a good fight" Jorge commented as he loaded up a gunship with several crates of ammo and explosives with Jun while Kurt spoke with the pilots.

"Of course they are, we're under the command of General Vadam and Commander Keys" Jun stated as he placed a heavy crate down next to his rifle "All those drills the General had us run are starting to pay off"

"And now it sounds like we're going aboard one of the enemy ships for a snatch and grab or assassination" Kurt said as he rejoined the rest of his commando squad "The pilots have orders to land us in the command ship's hanger bay"

"Ballsy" Jun chuckled before he frowned at his DC-15x sniper rifle "Looks like I won't be needing my rifle this time around"

"Don't worry Jun, you'll get your chance soon enough" CT-0117 said as he observed his men from his seat on a small crate, a half assembled DC-17m before him. He returned his attention to the interchangeable weapon and quickly added a small scope, an extended magazine and a extended stock to it for better accuracy and handling while he loaded the anti-armor grenade launcher attachment to his armor's belt "This should do"

"Think we're gonna run into any heavy armored Droids in there sir?" Jorge asked.

Blue Team's leader looked back at the slightly bulkier Clone and nodded towards the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon at his feet "You tell me"

"Heh, fair enough" Jorge smirked as he loaded several power packs for the weapon into his armor's backpack and hefted the heavy weapon on to the gunship.

It was than that CT-0117 saw General Thel approaching and nodded towards the Jedi "Sir"

"Are your men ready Master Chief?" Thel asked as he eyed the four commandos and their gunship with a critical gaze.

"Locked and loaded sir" CT-0117 said with a nod as he slid his helmet on and his HUD came to life.

"Excellent" Thel said with a nod before gesturing towards the gunship "Come, let's get this over with"

"Sir, are we taking the commanding officer prisoner or is this strictly an assignation?" CT-0117 questioned as he and his men loaded on to the gunship while the pilots started up it's engines and ran a quick systems check.

"The Chancellor wants us to take their commander prisoner if possible" Thel said in a dry tone before he glanced at his men "But if it seems impossible, just shoot her and I'll tell his excellency we tried"

"I'm good with that" Jorge said as he patted his rotary cannon.

"Same" Jun said as he quickly assembled his DC-17m into the sniper variant with a modified scope for better accuracy and range.

Thel nodded at this before the bay doors for the gunship closed and the cabin pressurized as the craft lifted off the deck and made it's way out into the Star Destroyer's main flight deck and up towards the hanger doors as they began to part. Thel held on to one of the cabin's handles as the gunship weaved it's way through the field of blast fire from the various starfighters and cruisers around them. The Commandos remained silent, doing last minute gear check while Thel took several calming breaths and steadied his two heart beats.

 _'There is no death... there is the Force'_ Thel thought as he repeated the last line of the Jedi code in his mind.

Thel sometimes wished he believed it, but there are times that the Sangheili wondered just what exactly lied beyond death. Was there a afterlife and if so, what kind? Was it a afterlife fitted for the Sith, a afterlife fitted for Jedi or simply nothing. The Jedi were trained to not fear death, but to accept it as part of life, or rather the end of life and beyond, they would become one with the Force.

"Sir, are you ready?" CT-0117 said as he received a message from the pilot that they were nearing the hanger and were about to be deployed.

Thel took one last deep breath before he nodded and unclipped his Lightsaber from his armored hip and moved towards the bay doors as they opened as their gunship began to open fire on the numerous Droids inside the hanger, hoping to thin them out enough for the Jedi and Clone insertion force. Thel immediately jumped out of the gunship, his saber lit and began to hack and slash at any droid unfortunate enough to be in his path. Blue Team provided cover fire for their Jedi general as they exited the gunship as well while Thel redirected every blast bolt sent towards him with his Lightsaber before he grabbed a bisected Super Battledroid's torso and threw it at several more Droids.

"Look out-" the Droid said as I and several others in it's squad tried to move before the severed Super Battledroid slammed into them.

Thel grinned as he redirected a few more bolts at their shooters before he threw his hand forward and unleased a powerful wave of Force energy at several squads of Droids and a Buzzard Droid standing before him. The war machines were practically torn to shreds by the sheer intensity of the Force Push and sent flying throughout the hanger while the Buzzard Droid was sent into a few others of it's kind.

"Re-enforcements!" Jun shouted as he saw several more squads poor into the hanger from his vantage point.

"I see them" Jorge responded as he took aim with his Z-6 and unleashed a torrent of blaster fire "Eat plasma clankers!"

The Droids were easily cut down by Jorge's plasma barrage while Jun sniped at any he missed. CT-0117 and Kurt were slowly making their way towards General Vadam as he cut down Droid after Droid, they were simply finishing off the ones he missed or had somehow avoided his hellish rampage.

"At this rate, there aren't gonna be any Droids left for us to shoot" Kurt joked.

"Agreed, I'm almost starting to feel sorry for the Separatists" CT-0117 said as he put a blast bolt into a droid's head as he took a moment to scan the area for signs of the Jedi. He frowned when he lost sight of the large armored Jedi.

"Jun, any eyes on the General?" he asked as he and Kurt took cover by a destroyed Buzzard Droid.

"One second..." Jun said as he sniped at a few more Droids before he scanned the hanger bay, or what he could see with all the smoke and fire in the air "Negative, but based on the trail of dismembered Droids, I say he's heading for the bridge"

"Copy that, you and Jorge finish off any Droids in the hanger and secure it" CT-0117 said with a nod before he tapped Kurt on the shoulder "Let's move"

"Roger" Kurt said as he loaded a fresh power magazine into his DC-15s and followed after his squad leader.

...

Thel ducked, weaved around and redirected a cloud of plasma bolts as he pushed his way to the ship's bridge. Squad after squad of Battledroids and Super Battledroids tried to shoot him down but instead found themselves being literally cut down by the Sangheili Jedi. Thel's once shiny silver armor was now scorched and marred with oil from the dozens of Droids he's destroyed since coming aboard Sev'rance's starship. Thel grunted as a few stray blast bolts broke through his defense and struck his armored form. The metal held up and was at worse, scorched while the gelled body suit he wore underneath his armor cushioned the impacts even more.

 _'Still going to bruise later'_ Thel thought as he sliced a Droid's head off and kicked the body away and into the wall with enough force to shatter it's remains ' _Perhaps I'll look into adding a personal energy shield to it. I'll have enough spare time to do so'_

This was, of course, if he survived this battle though Thel was confident he would with his skill and the Droids... incompetence.

"Sergeant, our blasters don't seem to be working against the Jedi" one droid shouted as it fired at Thel only for it's blaster bolts to be re-directed into several of it's fellow Battle Droids.

"Just keep firing Corporal, he can't keep this up forever!" a Droid with yellow markings responded before a re-directed bolt shot it's head clean off.

"Roger, rog-" the Droid began before Thel cut it down with a single swipe.

Thel watched as the Droid fell tot eh ground and deactivated his Lightsaber and reattached it to his hip as he looked around for any signs to the command bridge. He sensed a lone battle droid sneaking up behind him, or as best as it could with its metallic footfalls before a blaster bolt snipped it in the head.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever catch up Master Chief" Thel commented as he turned to see Kurt and CT-0117 running towards him.

"Sorry sir, got held up by a few Droids that were curious as to why we were onboard" the commando responded.

Kurt nodded as he kicked a down droid "Yeah, they wanted to see our identification. So we happily showed them at the end of our blasters barrels"

Thel made a humming like sound as he scanned the damaged hallway "Do either of you know which way the bridge is?"

"Schematics show it's up ahead and on the left, sir" CT-0117 said as he glanced at Thel with some confusion "Sir... did you get lost?"

"I may have forgotten myself in the heat of battle Master Chief" Thel responded as he gestured for the two Commandos to follow him.

"Yes sir" the leader of Blue Team said after he shared a look with Kurt and followed after their Sangheili commander.

...

Within the warship's command bridge stood a single organic being, a beautiful Chiss female with two IG-100 MagnaGuard Droids standing behind her while several Droids milled about the bridge, monitoring systems and coordinating their dwindling fleet. Already several frigates were lost and both Destroyers were disabled, at this rate, Sev'rance's fleet would be eradicating entirely. Never in her months serving under Dooku has she been outmaneuvered like this, especially when she outnumbered the enemy force three to one!

"Dammit... dammit all" Sev'rance Tann hissed in annoyance as she monitored the space battle and the disabled Republic cruiser that was still firing on her warship.

"Mistress, we have reports that a lone Republic gunship as landed in the bay and deployed a squad of Clones and a lone Jedi" a Droid said from the security station.

Sev'rance frowned at this before she nodded in front of her "Show me"

"Yes mistress" the Droid obeyed and brought up a screen of the main hanger bay.

Sev'rance felt her eyes narrow to slits as she saw the state of her hanger, fires and smoke everywhere and almost a hundred droids laid scatted about in pieces with a single gunship hovering in the air and two Clones standing guard. The clones were outfitted in some sort of custom armor she didn't recognize but quickly deduced that they were likely special forces of some sort if only a single squad was sent. She was about to ask for the location of the Jedi before she suddenly sensed a powerful presence in the Force nearing her.

For a second, she thought it could have been Dooku, but instead of the dark, cold malice that was his Force signature, this was light, burning like a fire almost.

 _'What in the Sith Hells...?'_ Sev'rance thought before she deduced it was the Jedi. She grinned darkly as she turned towards the entrance to the bridge, already the Droids were firing outside at the approaching Jedi and her MagnaGuards were taking defensive positions before her _'Perhaps it's the famed Kenobi, or even his brat Skywalker. Windu, perhaps?'_

Whoever it was, they would fall and afterwards, after she shows the Republic fleet the severed head of their precious Jedi, she will reduce them to ash and scraps.

The shooting outside suddenly stopped, casting a eerie silence within the bridge as Sev'rance waited for the doors to open and reveal the Jedi that will soon die at her hands. Several moments passed and nothing happened, causing Sev'rance to frown, she could still sense the Jedi behind the doors, what was he waiting for-

Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors were practically blown out from the frame and sent flying towards her. Sev'rance ducked while her guards were struck by the doors and crushed in a shower of sparks, oil and metal. Almost immediately afterwards, blast bolts flew threw the bridge, striking down various Droids with startling accuracy and precision. The Chiss woman looked up and felt her eyes widen at the sight before her.

It was the Jedi... and he was the exact opposite of what she was expecting.

She expected some small, unarmored Jedi clad in robes with some sort of calm, neutral expression and a look that would perhaps compel her to surrender and she'd loose no dignity. What she saw before her was a massive muscled, armored Sangheili with a dark look on his split jawed face that seemed to be saying that she will die and there will be no dignity in it. This Jedi, was a far cry of what she thought a 'Defender of Peace and Democracy' should be, if anything, he was a vanguard for war.

"Sev'rance Tann?" the Jedi demanded in a deep voice as he activated his Lightsaber and stepped into the bridge while two Clones clad in the special armor she saw the ones in the hanger wore wait outside.

Sev'rance glared at the Jedi, she would not give this being the satisfactory of being intimidated "Who are you?"

"Thel'Vadam" the Sangheili replied "I ask again, are you Sev'rance Tann?"

"I am..." she responded in a curt tone as she analyzed her soon to be adversary as he continued to approach her in a cautious manner "I wasn't aware there were any Sangheili in the Jedi Order, I thought your kind were too 'dark' for their liking"

"There are exceptions every once in a while" he replied dryly.

"So I see" Sev'rance nodded with a smirk as she placed a hand on her hip "Tell me, Jedi, what are you doing aboard my vessel? You simply could have called and told me you surrender, you didn't have to put on this entire show and come aboard my ship to tell me personally"

"If you call my men destroying your fleet a sign of surrender, I advise you seek help or a re-education in military maneuvers" Thel said as he came to a stop a few feet from Sev'rance, his form towering over her in a way that she was sure that a lesser Chiss, or any being of her size would be intimidated.

"The battle isn't over yet, Thel'Vadam, there is still time to turn the tide in my favor" Sev'rance said with a dark grin as she stared up at Thel's seemingly burning eyes.

The almost legendary stories of Sangheili warrior spirits did not do what she saw and sensed within this creature justice. It was a shame, in her opinion that such talent was wasted with the Jedi. Perhaps she could-

"Do you surrender?" Thel demanded as the tip of his Lightsaber was at Sev'rance's throat in a instant.

The Chiss female glared at Thel before she smirked darkly at the taller alien being "Funny, I was thinking the same about you, Jedi!"

Before Thel could comment or more accurately, sever her head from her body, The Separatist commander gathered the Force around her before she sent it out towards Thel with her outstretched hand. The Jedi master barely had tome to brace himself before he was thrown through the air and into the ship's bulkhead with enough force to dent the wall. Spots flickered across Thel's vision as he slowly stood up, his eyes narrowing at Sev'rance as she smirked at him and reached into her coat before pulling out the hilt of a Lightsaber and igniting a bright golden blade.

Sev'rance raised her lightsaber and took a defensive stance as Thel's grip on his own weapon tightened. The Sangheili Jedi grunted as he began to approach the smirking Chiss female.

"You should have surrendered Chiss" Thel stated in a cool, detached tone.

"Oh, and why is that?" Sev'rance asked with a dark grin as she held her Lightsaber at the ready.

Thel stated at her for several long seconds before he spoke.

"You would have at least kept your head"

And with that, he attacked.

…

* * *

And done.

Next chapter, Blade to the throat it is then...


	5. Chapter 5

answers to reviewers questions or statements:

 **Trey Alexander** : Sev'rance is fairly powerful in the Dark Side, nowhere near Maul or Dooku's level, or even Ventress, but enough to pose a bit of a challenge. The real threat she poses is her strategic mind. We didn't get to see much of that here given that Thel has left her little room to maneuver but we'll be seeing just how dangerous she is leading armies and fleets soon enough.

 **rmarcano321** : Not too bad given that it just stared only a few months ago.

 **superpierce** : No, the Forerunners disappeared tens of thousands of years before the Rakata achieved space flight. But we will be seeing signs of their existence later on.

 **megabroney** : I don't care for Spider-Gwen so whatever they do with her, as long as she isn't paired with Peter, I can care less.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Halo or Star Wars characters seen, mentioned or used.

* * *

Master Luminara Unduli let out a tired sigh as she retreated to the apartment she used to share with her Padawan, Barris after spending the better part of the day in several briefings and debriefings. But since the stat of the Clone Wars, her young apprentice felt she had grown enough to live in her own quarters. While Luminara was supportive and even agreed with the younger Mirialan, she was a little saddened that she was now living alone again after so many years. Before she took on an apprentice she used to live with Shaak Ti, but after the latter's ascension to the High Council, and herself taking a Padawan, living together proved to be difficult, and quite cluttered.

 _'Perhaps I can call Shaak Ti later and ask if it'll be okay to move back into my old room'_ Luminara thought as she approached the section of the temple that was reserved for the various members apartments _'I'm sure she won't-'_

"To think they would give an entire battle group to such a person" a voice spoke up, causing the Jedi master to stop and listen. She recognized the voice, belonging to Jedi Prong Krell.

' _What are you on about now Krell?'_ Luminara thought with a tired sigh as she, against her better judgement, decided to investigate.

She rounded a corner and saw the Besalisk was speaking to several other Jedi knights, several of whom Luminara recognized... and not in a good way. Narrowing her eyes, the Mirialan slowly approached the group as she listened to whatever it is that Krell was saying.

"It was bad enough he was made a master, but to give him such a responsibility? Especially with his people's nature and history? We might as well be recruiting Dark Acrolytes and Sith a this rate!" Krell argued, causing several other Jedi to agree with him.

It was than that Luminara made herself know by loudly clearing her voice "And who is this Master that you feel the need to speak ill of, Knight Krell?"

The Jedi master watched as Krell stiffened before he slowly turned towards Luminara while several of the knights he was speaking to all began to quickly depart. Luminara stared up at the Jedi with a blank gaze and her arms folded before her while Krell bowed slightly at her.

"Master Luminara…"

"You have yet to answer my question Krell" Luminara said with her eyes narrowing slightly at the Jedi before her. She was never particularly fond of Krell, his aggressive behavior and condescending attitude to other members of the order, one in particular, often rubbed her the wrong way "Who do you believe isn't ready to command a battle group of our forces? You must feel quite strongly about them to voice such words before several Jedi Knights"

Krell stared down at Luminara with narrowed eyes before he spoke "I was referring to that miserable Dark leech, Vadam"

At this, Luminara felt a spike of anger at the slur the Besalisk used, a common insult for Jedi who hailed from a species that was often closely attuned to the Dark side of the Force, like the Sangheili or Dathoomir witches. Her arms dropped as she stepped even closer to Krell and spoke in a low tone.

"Knight Krell, I'm going to tell you once, and only once... do not push it" Luminara said up towards the towering Kight "Master Vadam has proven time and again that he can not only resist the temptations of the Dark Side, but also be a valued champion of the Light... which is more than I can say for certain members of this Order"

Krell scowled at Luminara before he leaned in towards her "And how many Sangheili in the past were thought and hailed as such, before their true nature emerged and they turned on us for the false promises of the Dark Side?"

Luminara had nothing to say to this before she spoke in a cold whisper that could have made the frozen planes of Hoth or Ilum seem like a tropical beach in comparison "I thnk Master Krell, you would do well to remember what you say of your fellow Jedi... and review your history lessons. Those Sangheili you mentioned, were never members of the Jedi Order, most of them left before their fall and the last one was a spy for the Brotherhood of Darkness well before he ever 'joined' our Order"

Krell stared down at Luminara with narrowed eyes before he snorted and turned on his heel "Your the absolutely last person in the Order I would expect to aid that 'Dark Leech', Master Luminara… especially after what happened when you and your apprentice accompanied him to Yavin Four barely a year ago"

Luminara's eyes narrowed at the departing Besalisk before she turned and continued onwards back to her room, her mood darker than before.

' _Kriffin nerfhearder!'_

...

Thel's eyes narrowed as Sev'rance leaped out of the way of his first strike, his double bladed Lightsaber leaving a deep cut in the floor before he pulled the blade up to deflect the Chiss's gold colored blade. The Sangheili General twisted his wrist, forcing his opponent's lightsaber towards the ground before he raised his foot and delivered a powerful kick to Sev'rance's torso who responded by throwing up a small cushion of the Force to lessen the impact. The defense worked to a degree but it still sent the woman back several meters before she landed in a roll and rose to her feet, her Lightsaber at the ready as Thel rushed her.

The Dark side user growled at Thel and raised her hand to fire off a small stream of blue Force Lightning. Thel's answer was to raise his weapon and use the Force to draw the oncoming attack into the energy of his blade. The Separatists commander hissed in displeasure as she cut off her Force Lightning before she charged towards Thel, her Lightsaber held in a reverse grip. Thel watched as the dark acolyte neared him with narrowed eyes before he sent out a Force Push and watched as Sev'rance leaped out of the way. The Sangheili general made a quick mental calculation of where Sev'rance was gonna be and using the Force, threw and guided his Lightsaber towards where he hoped to intercept her.

Sev'rance saw the approaching Lightsaber and hissed in displeasure before she brought her own blade up and deflected it with a flick of her wrist, sending it back to Thel who caught it with ease while the Chiss female landed in a roll and quickly sprinted towards Thel in a blur. The Sangheili Jedi narrowed his eyes as he tracked Sev'rance's movements and slipped into a more defensive posture and began to deflect the rapid strikes of the Separatist commander's Lightsaber. Sev'rance grinned darkly as she continued to press her attack on the Sangheili Jedi before her, her earlier apprehension of facing such an obviously powerful foe all but gone.

"Is this all you can do Master Jedi? Defend? Deflect? RETREAT?!"

The last word was met with a harsh blow from the Chiss female that caused Thel to stumble back before he blocked another strike from her that would have either severed his head or a few of his mandibles. On the other end of the room, Kurt and CT-0117 both had their blasters trained on the two Force-Sensatives, or rather they tried to keep their aim on Sev'rance, but the duel was making it difficult for the two Commandos to find a clear shot that wouldn't risk hitting General Thel.

"Have a shot yet?" the Master Chief asked over their helmet's commlink as he tracked the two Lightsaber wielders in his scope.

"No, the damn Chiss is keeping to close and keeps having the General between us and her" Kurt said with annoyance.

"Dammit" the leader of Blue Team said with anger as they watched General Thel block another swipe.

Sev'rance snarled at the tall Sangheili as their blades were locked "Your order will fall Jedi, your Republic will be nothing but ash and ruin because of your weakness! Especially if all Jedi fight like you!"

"I was unaware that letting you exhaust yourself was a sign of weakness on my part" Thel said in a dry tone, causing Sev'rance's brow to furrow before her eyes widened as she felt Thel began to push back no matter how hard she tried to fight it "You are quite skilled Sev'rance Tann, but there is one problem..."

Thel than shoved the Chiss away before he held his blade out at the ready with narrowed eyes. Sev'rance regained her footing and her grip on her Lightsaber tightened as she glared at the Jedi before her.

"Oh, and what is that 'Master Jedi'?" Sev'rance demanded, using Thel's title as a insult.

"You are no Jedi... and your expecting me to fight like on" Thel commented before he suddenly moved too fast for Sev'rance to properly track and sent a strike towards her mid-section.

Sev'rance just barely got her blade up to divert Thel's before his arm moved in a blur and struck up, the tip of his Energy Sword inspired Saber grazing her cheek, leaving a small burn. The Chiss commander hissed in pain and anger as she quickly found herself on the defensive. Thel's arms and blade were like a never ending blur while Sev'rance struggled to keep pace, either just barely managing to step out of his reach or deflecting the powerful blows before Thel redoubled his efforts.

For every strike that failed to end Sev'rance's life, several more followed that left small, but painful wounds that reduced her efficiency to properly defend and counter Thel's strikes.

 _'Dammit, how am I losing to a Jedi?'_ Sev'rance thought with anger as Thel scored another strike on her leg, leaving a even longer, slightly deep wound on her thigh before she sued the Force to push him back and try and place more distance between him and her before several blaster bolts fired form the Clones at the entrance to the bridge shot towards her.

"Take her out!" the apparent leader of the duo said as he and his fellow commando continued to fire at Sev'rance with quick bursts of fire.

The Chiss female growled at the two as she deflected a few blaster bolts towards Thel who was forced to dodge them or risk being struck by his own men's shots.

CT-0117 narrowed his eyes at the Separatists commander as he kept firing with his custom DC-15s and shot dual wielded at the Lightsaber wielding Chiss, forcing her to deflect three separate weapons as the two commandos attempted to flank her. Sev'rance glared at the parting Clones before she shot her hand out and unleashed a powerful stream of Force Lightning. The commandos tired to get out of the way by they were too slow and the Dark side energy struck them.

Sev'rance grinned at the pained screams they let out as they were flung away by the sheer force of her attack, their armor melting in some places from the sheer intensity of the attack. She would have kept pouring more and more energy into the attack and killed the Clones had she not sensed and heard Thel approaching her from behind.

The Chiss turned just in time to have Thel slash down with his Lightsaber, leaving two thin but deep burn slashes across her torso.

"AHHHHHHH!" Sev'rance screamed in pain as she fell back.

Thel glared down at Sev'rance as he raised his blade to her throat "You are very lucky your wanted alive, Sev'rance Tann"

"Oh... and why... is that?!" she spat out with a pained groan.

"Because, I would have taken your head otherwise" Thel stated simply as he stared down at the injured Chiss.

"Heh, and here I thought Jedi were supposed to be benevolent" Sev'rance said as she did her best to think of a way out of this situation before she noticed the bridge's escape pop entrance just a few meters away, behind Thel.

"This is war, and as I told my superiors when I was ordered to capture you, I will not do so at the expense of my men's lives" Thel growled out as he turned his attention to his wounded men for just a moment and reached out with the Force to see if they lived.

That moment was all Sev'rance needed for her to gather a small amount of Dark side energy and unleashed it in a small but powerful single arc of Force Lightning, right at Thel's head.

The Sangheili let out a pained roar as the dark side bolt struck his helm and sent a current of electrical energy through his head and down his neck. He stumbled back in pain and Sev'rance used every ounce of will power she possessed to climb back to her feet and run towards the escape pop. Thel shook his head in pain, his vision blurry and spots dancing across his vision as he sensed Sev'rance making a run for it. He made to reach out with the Force and stop her but she reached down and plucked a blaster off the ground and shot back at Thel blindly as she used the Force to open the pop's hatch. Thel was forced to deflect the blaster bolts as the Chiss Force-sensitive ran into the pod and sealed the hatch and a not a second later, had the pop jettisoned from the capital ship and towards the nearest still operational Separatist warship.

"Dammit..." Thel grumbled in pain as he saw his vision begin to clear more and more until he could see again and made his way towards the large observational window of the bridge and searched the area for signs of Sev'rance's escape pod.

The Sangheili Jedi glared at the escape pod as it was picked up by the last standing frigate before the warship jetted away from his cruisers and quickly fled into Hyperspace.

 _'Run false Sith, run... next time you won't be given the chance'_ Thel thought with annoyance as he deactivated his Lightsaber and holstered it back to his hip before he turned his attention towards CT-0117 and Kurt as they approached him.

"Master Chief, are you and Kurt well?" Thel asked after taking note of the two's scorched and partially melted armor.

"We'll be fine sir, nothing a few Bacta patches and a trip to the armory for repairs and replacements won't fix" the commando said.

"Yeah, I've gotten worse from my instructors back on Kamino, sir" Kurt said as he scanned the area and let out a lot whistle "Damn... sir, remind me to never pick a fight with you"

"As you are a soldier of the Republic and I serve it, I don't see such a thing happening" Thel commented as he gestured for the two to follow him back to the hanger "Come, we are leaving this ship"

"I'll let Jorge and Jun know sir" CT-0117 said as he contacted his other two teammates and told them to prepare for departure.

"Very good Master Chief" Thel said before his commlink started to go off.

Frowning, the Sangheili pulled it out and activated it and was greeted to the sight of Master Obi-wan Kenobi, clad in a mixture of Clone armor and his Jedi robes.

"Master Kenobi... what do I owe this unexpected call?" Thel asked with curiosity but suddenly developed and uneasy feeling in his gut "I was under the impression you were attacking the Droid factories on Munnilinst with Skywalker"

 _"I was"_ Obi-wan said with a nod as he adopted a serious frown _"But I just received word from Master Barrek that his strike force has been destroyed"_

Thel's eyes widened at this while the two commandos with him also froze in surprise "What?"

Obi-wan nodded grimly _"Some Droid General, a 'General Grievous' has seemingly killed master Barrek and is now closing in on the rest of the Jedi that were under Barrek's command"_

Thel's eyes narrowed at this as he ran a few mental calculations through his head before he clicked his mandibles "My fleet is nearby. Though I'm down one ship, I can have one of my remaining vessels jump us there and I can lead a rescue mission with my Commandos"

 _"Which is why I contacted you. I'm already sending a squad of my best men to aid you_ " Obi-wan said, causing Kurt to snort.

"We can handle this sir. Plus with all due respect, those guys will slow us down and it sounds like we need to get in and out fast" the Commando said, causing Thel and Obi-wan to glance at him.

 _"My best are ARC Troopers led by Captain Fordo and Alpha-17 who will be joining him with several of his own men"_ Obi-wan replied blankly.

"Oh..." Kurt said as his team leader looked at him with an annoyed glare under his helmet, mostly because of Kurt's comment.

"Petty Officer, if anything, we'll slow them down"

Thel grunted loudly enough to end the discussion as he returned his attention to Obi-wan with a nod "Me and my men will meet up with them before we make any moves"

 _"Understood, I'll let Fordo and Alpha-17 know"_ Obi-wan said before an uneasy expression crossed his face _"And Thel?"_

"Hmm?" the Sangheili said as he and his men had just arrived at the hanger to see the gunship was ready to go.

" _Be careful, whatever this General Grievous is, was enough to destroy a force almost the size of my own and was led by several Jedi masters, two of them Council members_ " Obi-wan stated in a grim tone _"Don't take any chances. Get our people, Jedi and Clone alike, out of there"_

"I understand..." Thel said with a nod as he hopped on to his gunship along with Kurt and CT-0117 and the bay doors closed as the gunship lifted into the air and shot out of the hanger at a breakneck speed.

 _"Then may the Force be with you my friend"_ Obi-wan said with a nod before he ended the transmission.

Thel placed his communicator back on his hip clamp and sighed as he looked nowhere in particular and whispered in a voice too quiet for the Commandos around him to hear thanks to the hum of the gunship's engines.

"May it be with us all..."

It was than that the last of Kenobi's words registered in his mind.

 _'Two Council members?'_ Thel thought with a frown as he recalled that the only council member that should have been on Hypori was Ki-Adi-Mundi _'Who else decided to go?'_

Thel could only hope that whoever it was that was down there with Mundi was still alive, the Council couldn't afford to lose two of their own...

...

And done.

* * *

Next chapter, Rescue mission...


End file.
